Interview Package

Introduction

This interview package seeks to conduct an interview for an accountant position. It intends to provide advertisement and additional information related to the assignment. This paper seeks to define the behavioral criteria to be assessed during the interview and analyze the reason for this behavior. It also intends to include detailed information about the preparation of the interview package while referring to the relevant theories.

Behavioral criteria

In my approach to the behavioral assessment we intend to;-

1. Build relationships

This simply means that as the interviewers we need to build relationships between us and the interviewees. This relationship should not be restricted to the interviewees only but also to the employees and other stake holders. In this way communication and trust will be evident and easy.

2. Create easy communication channels

In our approach in carrying out the interviews, we intend to create easy channels of communication. Communication channels must be polite and friendly. We are committed to making sure that the parties involved feel at ease.

3. Motivation

We realize that we have to be self motivated in order to undertake the interview effectively and efficiently. This is because an effective interview requires commitment and hard work. We also need to motivate other concerned persons, stake holders and the interviewees.

4. Administration

Our administrative approach must be one that is open and receptive. In this way we will be able to form friendly communication channels which will be very helpful in during the interview

5. Technology

The technology in our approach must be a simply technology and not a complex one. This will ensure that the interview process will be understood by all the parties involved.

Determining the purpose of the interview package

The first step in carrying an interview is to determine the purpose of the interview. In this regards, the purpose for this interview is to advertise the position of an accountant and interview the shortlisted candidates for the position of an accountant. In this particular system and criteria the position will be advertised in the newspaper. The accountant position will require specific and detailed qualifications such as a degree in financial studies, accountancy plus working experience on the same field. The person must be hard working and self motivated. As the interviewers we are aware that we share a common purpose that can be achieved during the interview. In this case we need to identify why we are conducting the interview. The purpose is to fill in the right candidate for the position of an accountant. Secondly, we need to determine what form the product will take or look like and the behavioral criteria of the product. In the criteria we have chosen, the product will be a qualified, hard working and self driven accountant. In our advertisement we have phrased the purpose for our interview clearly so that others may be aware of our intentions. In determining the purpose of this interview we had to ask ourselves these questions; why are we conducting interviews rather than gather information from other sources? What product do we require or expect from this interview? In determining the purpose of our interview we answered these questions.

Researching the interview topics

The next step is to conduct research and background search before conducting the interview. This is very important because it will allow us as the interviewers to come up with, develop and create relevant and essential questions for the interview. We are aware that as the interviewers we have to have a wide, solid and reliable knowledge on the topic at hand. This will ensure that our creditably will be evident to the interviewee and other persons concerned in the interview process. Our search must be based on the purpose of this particular interview which is to fill in the position of an accountant. The search should also be based on the final report or product. In our case the product is the best candidate who is qualified, hard working and self driven. Therefore, our questions will be based on accountancy and other areas to determine the sharpness and character of the interviewee. Our sources for research should therefore be reliable sources. In this case, we choose to research the questions from encyclopedia Britannica , National geographic atlas of the world, Academic journals, Oxford English dictionary, Accountancy( 5^th Edition) among many other reliable resources. The big question is how to determine the usefulness of this information from the above sources. Well, the only way we can determine the usefulness of this information is to apply our critical thinking skills. This will help us to prepare the information for the interview and help us to create and develop provocative and challenging questions for the interviewees.

Selecting the interviewees

This stage is a very important and sensitive part of the interview stage. It involves the selection of interviewees who have shown interest for the position of an accountant. We realize that we must carry out the selection with care keeping in mind the purpose of the interview and the required product from the interview process. A few questions will help us in the selection process. These questions are;

Does the interviewee have the information needed?

This is simply a means to determine if the interviewee has reached the required level of expertise for the advertised position of an accountant. As interviewers we realize that we have a part to play in making the interviewees comfortable and at ease. We have to be polite and cooperate with the interviewee. This will enable us to determine if the interviewees are intelligent and knowledgeable in the relevant fields. The selection should choose the most outstanding, intelligent and qualified candidates.

Is the interviewee available for the interview?

This is a method that we can use to increase the chances of other interviewees. If the interviewee is not available for the interview he / she automatically fail the interview. However, the location of the interview must be in a central place to ensure that all the interviewees can access or make their way to the particular venue.

Will the interviewee provide the necessary information needed?

This questions will helps us to determine the credibility of the interviewees. In order to achieve this we have to carry out research on the relevant topics, on the interviewees and be sure to use active listening and questioning tactics to determine the cultural background of the interviewees.

Can the interviewees clearly accurately give the information required from them?

Sometimes communication can become a barrier. This s because the interviewee might have the information we need not have the courage to give it to us. This may be due to a number of reasons which have to be considered during the interview. These reasons may include; shyness, fear, uneasiness, poor assumptions, hidden agendas or other personal reasons. In this case, we realize that we must try to engage the interviewees in polite conversation to make them to feel at ease. 

Structuring the interview

The structure of the interview is very important this is because badly structure interviews may fail to meet the desired results. In this stage, we realize that we have to focus on the types of questions and how to phrase the questions. In order to phrase the questions correctly we have to consider several factors such as language. The language that we use during the interview must be clearly understood by the interviewees. It must be precise, specific and concrete. We realize that we must be very careful with the language we use in order to avoid confusing and offending the interviewees. The other factor is relevance. The questions must be relevant to the purpose of the interview. The questions must also be logical and easy to understand among many other factors. The structure of the interview should therefore, be clear, simply and precise. The questions should be neutral, hypothetical, reflective, probing and nudging.

Conducting the interview

The interview must have an opening, a body and a close. The opening of the interview must be friendly and break the ice. This helps to create a friendly environment for both the interviewer and the interviewees. In this way the questions asked will help to achieve the desired goals or results. The body of the interview involves the asking of the questions. The questions should be asked in a proper sequence or manner. The sequence or order should begin with broad and open minded questions and progress to specific questions and close ended questions. However, the interviewer may chose to change the sequence and start the other way round. The closing of the interview is simply the conclusion of the same. The interviewer must not introduce any new information at this point. The conclusion of the interview must be done in a way to make the interviewee feel comfortable.

Preparing and presenting the interview report

This is the final stage after the interview stage. It involves preparation and presentation of the reports on the interview. The report should contain all the necessary information from the researching of the topic, conducting of the interviews and the assessment of the interview. The assessment must include all the essential information that has been gathered to fit the interview purpose, which is appropriate to the audience, that is accurate and the information that is factual and important. As the interviewers we are aware that we have a ethical responsibility to treat all the interviewees with respect and fairness. In this regard, we must make sure that all the information that has been gathered from the interviews is fair and does not in any way misrepresent the interview or the interviewee.

Conclusion

This interview package has identified the position for which an interview is to be carried out. It provides advertisement and additional information as an appendix for the assignment. The information obtained from the research is used to create an interview package for an account position. The package includes the description of the behavioral criteria that should be assessed, information about the preparations that should be under taken and the interview guide step by step.